Live Everyday to the Fullest

This was my home for the last week. Couldn't have imagined a better place to be considering the circumstances.

Image courtesy of TripsThailand.com

Life moves in mysterious ways. A few days ago, I received the horribly shocking news that one of the most influential people in my life suddenly passed away...my grandmother. She was the youngest oldest person I knew, and I thought a surefire centenarian if there ever was one. But all it took was an undiscovered cerebral aneurysm, and she was gone.

This all came to me as I was about to depart for the island of Ko Chang, a tiny spot off the Andaman Coast. I had to quickly make a decision as to what I was going to do...either go with my plan or fly home to be with my family during this tough time. I needed only to look back on the times I spent with my grandmother, and what she would have wanted me to do. It was an instant reminder that I am on the right track in life. You see, some people I'm sure don't understand what I'm doing traveling around right now, and perhaps think that I was crazy for leaving my engineering position that had a guaranteed path of success. However, when I first told my plans to my grandmother last year, and laid out my dreams to explore the world, she was right at my back.

And the thing is, she was always this way. Whether it was going to McDonalds to get a happy meal as a kid, to buying me my first iPod, or just being there to listen to me rant and rave about life's humongous problems as a senior in high school, she always showed nothing but love and support. For this I am forever in debted to her, and is also precisely why I decided to stay in Thailand. Because I know she is smiling down on me now, or at least left with a smile in her heart if you don't believe in the afterlife thing, knowing that I am pursuing my dreams of travel.

So as I spent the last week on an island with no cars, roads, motorbikes, or telephones, I felt incredibly blessed to stare out my bungalow at this everyday, and realized that this must be as close as I can get to the place she is at right now.

To all my family reading this right now, I just want to send my love and let you know we will get through this. After all, it is just a part of life, and if anything can be taken from this, it's another reminder of how precious life is and that you need to make it count. This my grandmother did, and I know that she went without any regrets.

If anyone wants to talk, best thing is to send me an e-mail. If you leave your number and a good time to call, I will do my best to get in touch.

Peace & Love,

Dan